In mobile networks, Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) provides a framework for implementing network slicing that interacts with the resources at the lower layers. Both monitoring and Radio Access Network (RAN) control is feasible for both 4G and 5G systems. In this work, we consider how data-driven resource allocation in a 4G context can enable adaptive slice allocation to steer the experienced latency of Virtual Reality (VR) traffic towards a requested latency. We develop an xApp for the near real-time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) that embeds a heuristic algorithm for latency control, aiming to: (1) maintain latency of a VR stream around a requested value; and (2) improve the available RAN allocation to offer higher bit rate to another user. We have experimentally demonstrated the proposed approach in an ORAN testbed. Our results show that the data-driven approach can dynamically follow the variation of the traffic load while satisfying the required latency. This results in 15.8% more resources to secondary users than a latency-equivalent static allocation.

翻译：在移动网络中，开放式无线接入网（ORAN）为实现与底层资源交互的网络切片提供了框架。对于4G和5G系统，均可实现监测和无线接入网（RAN）控制。本研究探讨在4G环境下如何通过数据驱动资源分配实现自适应切片调度，从而将虚拟现实（VR）流量的体验时延引导至目标时延值。我们为近实时RAN智能控制器（RIC）开发了一种xApp，其内嵌用于时延控制的启发式算法，旨在：（1）将VR流的时延维持在请求值附近；（2）优化可用RAN分配以向其他用户提供更高的比特率。我们在ORAN测试平台上对该方法进行了实验验证。结果表明，数据驱动方法能够在满足时延要求的同时动态跟踪流量负载变化。与静态时延等效分配方案相比，该方法可为次级用户提供多15.8%的资源。